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Bree Walker, Former Local News Anchor, Looks 'Disheveled' After DUI Arrest
Bree Walker's mug shot (Courtesy of the Anaheim Police Department)
Bree Walker, a former local news anchor and disability rights advocate, was arrested early this morning on suspicion of driving drunk in Anaheim.Police said she looked "disheveled," had "blood-shot and watery" eyes and reeked of alcohol, according to KTLA. She was arrested around 12:30 a.m. after running a red light, failing a sobriety test and not being able to produce a driver's license, according to the Orange County Register. The 61-year-old Venice resident declined a breathalyzer and went to a police station for a blood test (test results weren't available). Her car was impounded, and she was released four hours later.
TMZ notes that animal control had to take her pit bull Petey who was riding in the car with her, since no one was able to pick him up for her.
Walker was a well-regarded local anchor with stints in San Diego, New York and Los Angeles. She worked at CBS 2 in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s.
She was born with a rare genetic condition that affects her hands: ectrodactyly, which means she's missing some fingers, and syndactyly, which means some of her fingers are fused together. She opened up about her condition and became an advocate for people with disabilities. She appeared on shows highlighting her condition, including Nip/Tuck and HBO's Carnivale. She even fielded uncomfortable questions about her disability on-air, as seen in this clip from her days at WCBS New York:
Walker did end up having children who were born with the same condition, and they spoke about how it affected them in a Medical Mysteries segment on ABC.
Walker struggled with alcoholism. She sought treatment in rehab in 2007, but Radar reported that she was a regular at her neighborhood gay bar in Venice in 2012.
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This video of Walker's work and accomplishments was put together when she was given an award in San Diego in 2010.
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